With The Flyer being cut, what is next for journalism at Fairmont?

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With recent news of The Flyer no longer being offered as a class next year, current adviser Lacy Drake has had to get creative with how to keep journalism alive.

Drake also teaches Journalism, a semester elective offered to all students during scheduling week. Each semester, this course generates between 20-30 students. This course awards students a ½ credit of English if they pass.

Starting in August, Drake will revamp her Journalism classes, treating them as a newspaper staff, similar to how The Flyer class operates on a daily basis.

With the same content and curriculum, this should be an easy transition and a seamless way to give the students a voice at Fairmont.

“I teach all of the same things in Journalism as I do in Flyer,” Drake said. “Certainly the classes have some logistical and managerial differences, but I can make it work.”

It won’t be called The Flyer and the website will not be active; however, Drake will use social media and advertising to get the news out and publish student work.

“Our website will essentially be ‘frozen’ for the next year,” Drake said. “I am hoping that The Flyer will make a comeback in 2 years, but for next school year, we will just use social media and advertising in the building to share our journalistic work.”

If students in grades 9-12 are interested in signing up for Journalism as a semester elective, they should talk with their counselor.

“Trying to do a publication as an after school club is pretty tough. Most of my staffers or interested students play sports and or have jobs,” Drake said.

Drake hopes to spark some interest across the student body next year and highlight the importance of a student publication and having a forum to seek the truth and report it.

“I get amazing students each semester in Journalism, so I am going to treat them like student-journalists even more so now and let them get a real taste of what being on a school newspaper staff is like.”

Students will be able to apply for positions such as Editor-in-Chief, Chief Photographer and Social Media Manager.

“When students walk into my classroom, they will step into their journalist role and essentially be showing up to work each day like a journalists for a publication,” Drake said.

Regardless of scheduling issues and small enrollment, Drake knows that there is a need and an interest in Journalism in the building.

“Losing The Flyer is heartbreaking for me, but I am determined to bring it back. Merging it with my Journalism classes for next year is one idea that I knew could work.”

Many students and staff members have asked about hard-copy issues and of course the coveted Senior Issue which is published each spring for the graduating senior class.

“I am still working on all of the specifics, but my goal is to publish a Senior Issue next spring,” Drake said.

Be sure to follow @FairmontFlyer on Twitter and The Flyer Newsmagazine (@TheFairmontFlyer) on Facebook. The accounts will soon take on a new name, but they will be active with stories, news and photos.